Page 39 - World Airnews Magazine July Edition 2020

FEATURE

SHED PAPER DOCUMENTS AND their shift turnover activities; they can save

REAP FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF AN potentially double-digit hours per day and

ECOSYSTEM hundreds of thousands of dollars from a

Paper in any process is a bottle neck - it labour standpoint.

is a ‘single user’ medium. Take an aircraft ALL SINGING FROM THE SAME
release for instance. The cash and goodwill
cost incurred when a plane full of passen- DIGITAL HYMN SHEET

gers is waiting to leave while a mechanic An aviation maintenance management

fills out a paper form, walks it to the software system should have integrated

cockpit for a captain’s signature and then functionality that ties materials, technical
returns it to maintenance operations can records, engineering and maintenance

be significant. Now consider an electronic execution together.

technical logbook as an example of how With e-signatures and the support of an

airlines can minimise aircraft turnaround effective aviation maintenance manage-
times by reducing reliance on paper. Pilot ment software system, maintenance tasks

to maintenance interaction could be digital, can be carried out in one system and desig-

faster and safer - given the current need to nated as requiring digital sign-off. Software

adhere to social distancing measures. ideally will provide alerts to any errors or

An app-based, next-generation logbook conflicts in real-time, ensuring all relevant

approach is how IFS is helping airlines information is available to the signatory

address aircraft turnaround times while before a record is signed.

reducing paper-based processes. When a document is electronically signed
When accessible on a mobile device, this by a technician, inspector, supervisor or
technology eliminates the need for pilots other maintenance personnel, it becomes

to physically sign-off logbooks and the an electronic record, encrypted and perma-

enhanced data available from this capabil- nently stored in the aviation maintenance E-SIGNATURE TECH - HERE TO HELP
ity means faults raised during an inbound management database. TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE
flight can be seen in real-time. A pilot can These records can then be viewed and E-signature technology is not new in

then consider how a fault might impact verified at any time but cannot be altered. commercial aviation, but regulation has

flights ahead of time, preventing issues Audit trails become much more efficient been significantly lagging behind the pace of

being unaddressed after an aircraft has left and the ability to instantly search for and technology change. It would be foolish for

for its next destination. retrieve a specific set of records to perhaps regulators, airlines and MROs alike to ignore

There are similar benefits in terms of shift respond to a regulator’s request is hugely this capability in the current climate where

handover. A standard work order for some beneficial, potentially saving thousands of even the smallest of advantages can make a
operators could be up to 200 pages long. hours on a yearly basis. huge difference to help protect the futures

The mechanic must then to go through Non-repudiation on a document and a of commercial airlines and safety of people.

every page to identify the open tasks and digital trace means someone cannot deny Those who explore e-signature capability

build a separate list for the next shift - this that they have signed something, while stand to help themselves from a business

manual process takes time and it is easy to quick searches, reports by date and the lev- standpoint in the future, and will safeguard

miss key details. el of auditing provided by system automa- the welfare of their workforce and custom-

Now let’s add e-signatures. This provides tion enables technicians to focus on their ers during undoubtedly testing times at

a real opportunity to help operators refine core job of maintaining aircraft. present. Q

World Airnews | July 2020
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